Leia–POV

My heart ached, throbbing in synchrony with the numbness that spread throughout my body as I watched Kai depart, leaving me in our shared desolation. The once vibrant threads of our mate bond seemed to have vanished, yet when my fingers grazed over the mark on my neck, their mark was palpable. It was as if they were still there with me. Tears brimmed in my eyes, each droplet symbolizing my shattered hope. I wished fervently that this was all a dream, a ghastly nightmare that I would soon wake from, but the gut-wrenching truth was that it was happening. It was real. Everything we once had was now...